Got any friends in the industry? Talk to them. It's who you know and word-of-mouth. I'm in the market to buy myself, and it is a buyer's market, so the timing is good. However, to avoid getting run over, you want to talk to someone who is really going to look out for you. There are hundreds are mortgages to choose from these days, and a lot of them are set up to offer you help getting your credit together, but then the payments balloon after 3 or five years. And of you haven't gotten it toge her, guess what? You can lose your house.

I'll say it again. Talk to someone you know and trust to get the most honest, up-to-date, and affordable help you can.